Scott City Elementary School students participate in the Hoops for Heart fundraiser
32 Pages • Four Sections
Volume 21 • Number 29
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Published in Scott City, Ks.
$1 single copy
No simple solution for downtown parking Lack of parking in downtown Scott City. It’s a great problem to have when one considers the alternative. But it’s still a problem for some businesses who say their business suffers - or customers are inconvenienced - when certain downtown events make it impossible for customers to park near where they want to shop or do business.
Meetings limit parking, customer access Craig Braun, owner of Braun’s Butcher Block, and Craig Jameson, owner of Craig’s Barber Shop, feel their businesses have suffered because of events at the Bryan Conference Center and The Majestic which have lasted for several hours
and taken up many downtown parking stalls. “Last Monday and Tuesday I didn’t have a customer come in my front door for four hours because of all the parking that was taken up by meetings at the Bryan Center and The Majes-
Housing developer is looking at SC
tic,” Braun told the Scott City Council on Monday evening. “My customers don’t have a place to park.” Jameson related a similar experience, pointing out that on Monday some customers had to park a block away.
Both asked if the council had some ideas on how to deal with the parking situation. Even though some people use the parking lot east of Wheatland Broadband and The Majestic, that’s not always enough to accommodate bigger events, both businessmen noted. Scott County Development Committee director and former (See PARKING on page two)
Jumping for Heart
The lack of affordable housing in Scott City isn’t a problem that’s going to disappear anytime in the near future. It’s not for lack of effort from the Scott County Development Committee. SCDC Director Katie Eisenhour has been in contact with developers, including a nonprofit affordable housing development group that has expressed interest in Scott City. However, the contractor’s market is rather narrow. According to Eisenhour, the developer is looking at single-family, apartment and duplexes for individuals who are at least 55-years or older. That compares with Pine Village Apartments which target individuals who are 62-years or older. “There’s a gap to be filled,” Eisenhour told the Scott City Council during Monday’s meeting. Spec Housing The first home is under construction in 26-acre development project known as Eastridge Addition on the east side of Scott City. Local contractor Clayton Lee is building the 1,600 sq. ft. speculation home. Eisenhour told the council the home will sell for between $165,000 and $185,000. (See HOUSING on page two)
Command Spanish class begins Saturday
The first of two “Command Spanish” classes will be offered on Sat., March 15, with a second session scheduled for the following Saturday. Classes are from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Both classes, sponsored by the Scott City Chamber of Commerce, are designed to give participants a crash course in how to communicate with Spanish speaking individuals in their business. The fee for Chamber members is $75; $150 for non-members. Registration includes a book, two CDs and both sessions.
Scott City Elementary School second through fourth graders got an added workout during Jump for Heart and Shoot for Heart fundraisers held during physical education classes this week. Fourth graders who were Jumping for Heart on Tuesday were (from left) Evelyn Gonzalez, Hannah Tucker and Hailee Amerine. (Record Photo)
State slow to approve DL pilot project After four months, the Scott County Treasurer’s office is still awaiting word from the state that it will be able to offer expanded driver’s license renewal services. “We’ve been told the state is closer to putting us into a pilot program. How soon it will happen, we still don’t know,” says County Treasurer Lark Speer. “But we’re hopeful it will hap-
pen in the next few weeks.” The county was initially given the green light to begin resuming most services last October and hired longtime examiner Kathy McMillan to work full-time out of the treasurer’s office. The state then informed the county on Oct. 22 there were legal issues to be resolved before the Kansas Department of Revenue would sign
off on the change. McMillan has been given authority to provide most driver’s license services, however the state has been slow to give approval for her to provide the full range of services. The county is currently able to issue new licenses and renewals with the following exceptions: (See PROJECT on page two)
Weather mod draws no fire at meeting If weather modification is a controversial program it wasn’t evident during a meeting held in Leoti last week. Groundwater Management District No. 1, which sponsored its annual weather modification meeting, saw no heated debate over the effectiveness of the program. Outside of a couple of people who had questions about the
program, there was nothing out of the ordinary at the lightly attended meeting. “I visited with one guy who was maybe a little skeptical about the program, but he wasn’t angry about weather mod,” says Kyle Spencer, chief pilot for the groundwater district. “He asked some questions and that was about it. If there is an outcry against weather mod
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com
Woodworking students blend craftsmanship with modern technology Page 9
it wasn’t evident at the meeting. “One Wichita County landowner said he couldn’t believe we were having this discussion over the money. He didn’t feel the cost was excessive,” Spencer said. Landowners are assessed 5.5 cents per acre for cropland and 2.2 cents for grassland. “If we were to eliminate all outside funding from the state
and groundwater management district, that would increase the assessment to about 11 to 12 cents per acre,” Spencer says. “The landowner told me he still didn’t think that was out of line.” Only about 10 people attended the meeting outside of GWMD personnel. Two Wichita County commissioners were in attendance.
406 Main, St. Scott City • 620-872-2090 www.scottcountyrecord.com Opinion • Pages 4-5 Calendar • Page 7 LEC report • Page 10 Health • Pages 12-13 Deaths • Page 15
Sports • Pages 17-24 Business • Page 25 Farm section • Pages 26-27 Classified ads • Pages 29-31
GWMD Director Jan King said the meeting was held in Leoti since Wichita County has recently withdrawn its financial support for the program. “We felt that if county commissioners were hearing that much opposition to the program that perhaps this would be a good opportunity for us to meet with people who had questions (See WEATHER on page eight)
Kropp ends high school career with bronze at 4A state Page 17